The increasing levels of job demands and work stress experienced daily by workers in multiple contexts have increased the experience of the need for recovery after work. This study aims to provide validity evidence for the Danish Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale. We analyzed the psychometric properties of the scale, its factor structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and validity based on relationships with other variables (job stress, general health, and affective states) in two samples of Spanish workers. The results obtained through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses strongly support the unidimensional structure of the Spanish version of the NFR in its full eight-item version after eliminating one item not applicable in our cultural context, with good data fit. The values obtained regarding internal consistency, besides measurement invariance across groups, ensure the scale’s reliability and applicability. The validity and associations with other constructs tested were also confirmed in the hypothesized relationships with the respective variables analyzed. However, the short three-item version does not present a better fit compared to the full version in its Spanish validation. The Spanish adaptation of the Danish NFR scale in its full eight-item version constitutes a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of this construct. The methodological and practical implications of the Spanish version of the NFR scale are detailed in the discussion.

Research has shown that psychological detachment from work during nonwork time is an important recovery experience and is crucial for employee well-being. Integrating research on job-stress recovery with research on leadership and employee mental health and well-being, this study examines how a leader’s psychological detachment from work during nonwork time directly relates to subordinate psychological detachment from work and indirectly to employee exhaustion and need for recovery. Based on self-report data from 137 employees and their supervisors, this study revealed that leader psychological detachment was related to subordinate psychological detachment and that leader psychological detachment was indirectly related to low subordinate exhaustion and low subordinate need for recovery, also when controlling for negative affectivity and leader-member-exchange. Overall, this study demonstrates that leaders might have an impact on subordinate strain symptoms not only via leadership behavior at work but also via detachment processes during leisure time. These findings suggest that employee recovery processes might not only be regarded as an individual phenomenon, but could be seen as embedded in the larger organizational context.